HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 23
page A21
Does the Bible say anything about drugs?
• 1 C O R I NT H I A NS 6 :1 2 -1 3 | You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything
is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a
slave to anything. . . . [Our bodies] were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about
our bodies.
• 1 C O R I NT H I A NS 6 :1 9 -2 0 | Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,
who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God
bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
• 1 C O R I NT H I A NS 1 0 :3 1 | So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the
glory of God.
The Bible doesn’t specifically mention the kind of drug addiction common among many
people today, but it does address putting things into your body that are harmful and that
impair your ability to function. Taking drugs to get a high produces an artificial happiness
or escape that is a cheap substitute for the true joy of being filled by the Holy Spirit. When
the Holy Spirit controls your life, your joy is authentic and contagious.
Can I be devoted to God and other things too? Is that addiction?
What is the best way to be free from my addictions and bad habits?
• R O MA NS 6 :1 6 | Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to
obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God,
which leads to righteous living.
Submission is a choice. We daily stand at the crossroads, choosing sinful ways or God’s
way. Choose wisely.
• R O MA NS 1 2 :2 | Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform
you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s
will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
• 1 J O H N 4 :4 | You belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory . . .
because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.
• 1 J O H N 5 :4 -5 | Every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory
through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe
that Jesus is the Son of God.
Freedom from addiction comes as you change your focus and the way you think.
You do this by trusting Christ to transform you and empower you to resist temptation.
While it is healthy and important to seek the help of others, with God’s help, you have
the ultimate power to overcome addiction. It’s hard to focus on Christ when your eyes
are fixed on this world. It’s hard to focus on worldliness when your eyes are fixed on
Christ.
If we shouldn’t let anything control us, why do we submit to the
Holy Spirit’s control?
• G A L AT I A NS 5 :2 2 -2 3 | But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (See note on
page 1063.)
• R O MA NS 8 :6 | Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the
Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
God’s control is the only kind of control that produces completely positive results.
HelpFinder
Devotion and addiction are different, but devotion can lead to addiction. You can be
devoted to family and friends and to helping other people. You can be devoted to a worthy
cause. This shows you care. But devotion becomes addiction when it so absorbs you that
God is no longer your first priority and distracts you from spending time with him. You
must evaluate who or what is most important to you. A clue to determining this is to see
where you spend most of your time.
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• MAT T H E W 6 :2 4 | “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other.”